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[archimedeia]

[ Rough around the edges in an oil-stained jumpsuit with rolled up sleeves, Devon Resnik broadcasts from a darkened corridor—she sounds grim and looks even more frustrated, like this was the "I told you so" she didn't want coming. One hand reaches up to scratch the spot between her eyebrows. ]

We expanded your access because we thought you had the common sense to keep yourselves alive, not so you could cast off one another's warnings and dig yourselves an early grave. Everyone on this ship is aware of our smiling friend: what makes you want to chat up an anomalous transmission on the network?

[ Her hand drops, and she fixes the screen with a serious look. The frustration drains into her usual: flat, no bullshit. Just the facts. ]

Don't fool yourselves into believing that Van Rijn's people want to help you.

[ From behind her, a much more clean-cut figure with dark hair and broad shoulders approaches. As Resnik takes a half-step to the side of the frame to make room for him, Ward explains further, though his voice is no less flat. ] They want the Tranquility. They're going to try anything to get it, including making promises they can't keep. If you receive any messages from them, don't engage or antagonize. You have no idea what these people are capable of.

[ Resnik turns to glance at Ward over her shoulder, something wary in her eyes: it's met with an equally dour look in his. The look holds for a moment before she turns back to the terminal. ] Seems like we've lost them for now, but they're persistent. Report all communications with individuals identifying themselves as agents of Van Rijn immediately.

[ With those orders stated, she cuts the feed. ]

[ OOC NOTE ▒ Direct your comments to either Resnik or Ward by specifying their name in the subject line. Comments without a name in the subject line will be treated as a question for both. ]

Comments

[voice]

[circumitus]

[Oh hey, she was wondering where you guys have been.]

What are they capable of?

[voice]

[archimedeia]

Whatever it takes to get what they want, and they want the ship. [ Darkly, she adds: ] Van Rijn never made a habit of asking nicely.

voice;

[overdraws]

Why am I supposed to trust any of you? You brought me here against my will, you don't do anything when the ship decides to attack us, and there's absolutely no sign of any of you doing anything to get any of us home. Why are you showing your faces now, and not when we actually need you?

[archimedeia]

[ Well, she certainly didn't expect any less than that. ]

We're not asking for your trust: this is about survival.

[video]

[surveyor]

Who are these people, and what are they capable of, exactly?

[Help a newbie out- if there's a threat (and he's gathered that there are a fuckton of those), he'd like to be made aware. He won't spend his time here in the dark.]

[video]

[archimedeia]

Laurens had a lot to say on the subject. [ The pirate was all over that post. ] They're agents of Van Rijn's government, and I doubt the apple falls far from the tree.

voice.

[forgodssake]

Yeah, some of us have cottoned onto that reality, thanks.

[ Actually too irritated to bother with texting, for once: Charles Xavier. His voice funnels clipped down the line, addressing either or both of them. If he is aware it's the first time he's ever personally witnessed their occurrence on the network, he doesn't seem to care.

Maintaining some civility, though, even if he is direct; ]

What are you going to do about it? And what kind of persistence are you talking about?

voice.

[archimedeia]

[ Straight to the point works just as well for Resnik. Her reply comes out clipped. ]

We'll keep trying to shake the tail, but if Van Rijn sent them, they're not likely to give up.

text.

[fullmoon]

What about the people at the places we stop?

text.

[archimedeia]

We don't know any more than you do. We're more worried about keeping the people on this ship alive.

video;

[newnova]

Sam's still tired. He probably looks awful, but he doesn't care. He hasn't been sleeping well ever since the corridors.

Where this transmission is coming from. He sits up, and asks, ]

Where are you?

[tranquiliorem]

Where we are isn't important.

video; either

[peckish4action]

Information can be acquired from either end of a communications channel. And, since we are somewhat in the dark, any source of information, no matter how unreliable, taking what we can from all sources makes at least some sense.

[ Pause, and a head-tilt. ]

Are there contingency plans in case they do catch up, somehow?

video;

[archimedeia]

Unreliable isn't the concern. [ The shake of her head is one part gruff, one part 'you're missing the point.' ] You keep that channel open, and information's going two ways, no matter how careful you think you're being. Tranquility has more to lose by letting that happen.

video. ( either )

[kutte]

That's it? No good advice for what happens when they get sick of sweet talking and try a more hands on approach?

[tranquiliorem]

You've been more than capable of looking after yourselves in the past.

voice;

[hairlocked]

The cloud damaged the ship. Did you put us there, or was it protecting itself?

[tranquiliorem]

Which do you think it was?

[voice] [Resnik]

[ryuuzaki]

I have to agree about the reporting. Do you know of anything that we can do about it aside from archiving the messages?

[voice]

[archimedeia]

Do your best to keep it brief. If you don't give them anything they can use, we'll have an easier time losing them.

text; either

[alsohawkeye]

Listening to you hasn't gotten anyone here any answers or any closer to home in three fucking years. Maybe it's time to try something new.

text;

[archimedeia]

Like I said, our first priority is survival.

[video]

[letsjustgogo]

[And there's a vaguely unimpressed Gogo sitting in her cabin.]

Aaaand...who're you?

[video]

[archimedeia]

I'm Resnik. [ She gestures to the man beside her, her eyes darting over to skirt his face. ] This is Ward.

video;

[servator]

Finally. [ Some of the COs. Shepard knits her brows in concentration, expression displeased and wary (a standard look). ]

You know, you're about as vague as they were. And if you haven't noticed, you two have done about as much for the people on this ship than they have. I wouldn't be surprised if you're both agents yourselves.

video;

[archimedeia]

If Van Rijn already had agents on board the ship, there wouldn't be much use in asking you to feed them information.

[ She knows the point Shepard's trying to make here, but she also doesn't take kindly to the accusation. As a result, the reply is dry and clipped. ]

All you're doing by engaging is making their job easier.

video; ( ward )

[starbuckslord]

So does anyone mind explaining why they'd want our Little Ship of Horrors?

[tranquiliorem]

They built it.

[dogbane]

'Expanding our access to keep us alive'

Are you fucking kidding? Of all the manipulative bullshit politic tactics available youre going to illustrate your fucking generosity and interest in our goddamn wellbeing with rhetoric about increasing our fucking access to shipboard systems

How about some goddamn information about Van Rijn's weaknesses and what his people do? What the hell is going on with the history of assimilation and emotional manipulation technology, spatial irregularities, and bizarre ass white rooms? Have you been affected by reality manipulating paintings or are you immune? Why? what the fuck fucking killed Joe Davis? How do we get Charlottes head screwed back on straight? How can we reverse the effects of meandering through the corridors? Where the fuck have you been?

If you don't want us to make shitty trade for some shitty information maybe you should give us some of that shitty information

There is no lawyerspeak in any goddamn universe that can hold that keeping us in ignorance does more good than harm. even if you dont know half the answers, the other half will do just fucking great.

also

Why am I still fucking CMO

And resnik you should come in for a medical exam. You look like ten shades of shit

jacked

[sorrycharles]

They're not in charge anymore.

If they ever were.

voice; either

[doggedly]

Bit too late for not antagonising, I think, but thanks for the suggestion. Hey, and here's a thought--why don't you tell us what they're capable of, and then we'll have an idea.

voice;

[archimedeia]

You don't need to hear secondhand horror stories.

text.

[regulatingpressure]

[ raven's too frustrated with this mess to answer in any audible way - it's harder to snap at them via text. ]

What are they capable of? Their ship itself, both in weaponry and technology, and the agents as individuals.

If I'm asking, it matters, and don't answer with a question unless you answer mine first. If you give me another 'you've seen what they can do', people will die unprepared and those deaths are entirely on you.

If it's too sensitive to communicate here, find some other way. Leave me a note, shove it into my brain, carve it into my arm - I don't care.

text.

[archimedeia]

I've never met these agents, and I don't want to. Our goal is to keep that ship far enough away that we never see its weaponry or meet its agents.

text;

[technologist]

[ nah son. ]

Will the jump numbers help them track us?

text;

[archimedeia]

Your people have been looking into the jumps, too. What do you think?

Resnik

[anybodies]

Was it Van Rijn or his people who had you arrested?

[archimedeia]

Shouldn't you be more worried about how you're going to keep his people off this ship?